With days and nights of working aiming for the betterment of underprivileged Congolese citizens, Harish Jagtani set an excellent example of humanity with the establishment of the HJ foundation to launch the `Gift a Vision' campaign to conduct more than 100 free cataract and glaucoma surgeries. Harish started the HJ foundation in 2016 after staying in DRC for more than 20 years, traveling to the interior, and realizing how sorry the people were in the healthcare condition, with limited access to healthcare facilities. He also set up HJ Hospital with state of infrastructure and machinery. He later realized that people couldn't still afford his healthcare services as most communities struggled with their living standards below the poverty line.
According to research, a good chunk of Congolese people becoming blind was suffering from low vision and had cataracts. It was an issue many people neglected; therefore, the Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi Foundation and HJ foundation's collective initiative helped curb this cataract issue. HJ foundation came in with a vision campaign called, "GIFT A VISION". The collaboration of this program with the first lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denise NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, involved 100 free-of-charge surgeries for the underprivileged people of Congo.
The program started with pre-launch activities to recognize and reach out to needy patients who suffer from eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts. It began on 1st Oct 2020, when free eye check-up camps were held at UPN, Institut Nationale Pour Aveugles, and Mbuji-Mayi. It aimed to identify such patients from Kinshasa and all parts of the country and bring them to Kinshasa, where they can be operated upon with the best facilities, infrastructure, and world-class services at HJ hospital.
The surgeries commenced on 15th October 2020 in the presence of the first lady, dignitaries, various NGOs, the media, major embassies, and local authorities, with live surgery being broadcasted from the operation theater to the audience sitting in the auditorium at HJ Hospitals. Till the 15th, the hospital had already registered 500 patients while lined up around 60 patients who'd been operated on in the course of that month. Glaucoma and cataract are the main causes of blindness; therefore, according to Dr. Aime Lokolutu, the Medicine Director of the HJ Hospitals Kinshasa, the issue can be prevented or detected in its early stages.
Ophthalmological Screening At The National Institute For The Blind
While the main objective was to improve the living conditions of the poor population, the collaboration of the HJ foundation with the Foundation of the First Lady of the DRC, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, was mainly for technical support of HJ Hospitals launched an ophthalmological campaign "Gift A Vision" campaign targeting Congolese people who lacked resources to access better treatment facilities. The campaign provided free surgery to over 100 cataract patients. The conference ended with the HJ foundation donating to the distribution of masks and disinfectant gels.
Ophthalmological Screening At The UPN "National Pedagogical University"
Within the framework of the HJ foundation of the ophthalmological campaign "Gift A Vision", in collaboration with Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi's foundation for supporting HJ Hospitals, HJ Foundation registered over 100 patients at the National Pedagogical University Hospital Centre. The patients were consulted at HJ Hospitals, and the cataract-positive cases were taken care of by the HJ foundation for their surgeries.
Ophthalmological Screening At Bonzola Hospital In Mbuji-Mayi
HJ hospital continued with the screening camps across the country, with the Bonzola Hospital in Mbuji-Mayi serving as the base camp for the screening of patients for the Gift A Vision campaign. Among patients, three of them who required surgery were flown to Kinshasa. After their successful eye surgeries, they were sent back to Mbuji-Mayi, where all accumulated costs were taken care of by the HJ Foundation.
Ophthalmological Screening At The HJ Clinic In Goma
The HJ foundation and HJ Hospitals team traveled to the city of Goma, which was part of the ophthalmological campaign "Gift A Vision" initiative of HJ Foundation in collaboration with the Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi foundation for technical support of HJ Hospitals. The team screened over 300 patients with records of over 60 cataract-positive cases brought back to Kinshasa for surgery at the HJ Hospital complex. The HJ foundation catered to everything.
Conclusion
The vision of Harish Jagtani with his HJ Foundation is promoting humanity through its actions, solidarity, charity, responsibility, and compassion. For the betterment and to improve the quality of life of DRC communities and individuals, the HJ Foundation targets the majority of poor and vulnerable Congolese populations. HJ Foundation has played a significant role in providing affordable and even accessible healthcare services. Harish Jagtani and his team also take part in the creation of all infrastructures that can help improve the lives of communities, especially for hospitals, schools, bio-medical analysis laboratories, and vocational training centers, among others.
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